Orthotown November 2023 - 50

The more excuses you make, the less likely you
are to achieve what you want in your business,
your team, your relationships and your life.
intentionally change their trajectory; they put
themselves with other like-minded individuals
and into groups and situations through which
they can learn.
The excuse: Too old
Th e facts: Extreme sports notwithstanding,
perhaps, you're never too old to do what you
want to do, and this is especially true in business.
Don't let these words come out of your mouth,
or your brain will begin to believe them and put
you mentally six feet under prematurely.
The excuse: Lack of support
Th e facts: At the end of the day, you control the
reins of your business-most likely your primary
source of income and the largest component of
your overall net worth. Surround yourself with
people who will support you and who serve as
examples of success that can be used to garner
support from unknowledgeable naysayers.
Separate fact from fi ction
Eliminating excuses entirely is unrealistic
because, let's face it, sometimes stuff happens-
life can get messy, draining and unpredictable,
and circumstances occur that are beyond your
control. But never forget that the vast majority of
excuses aren't facts. Excuses are the fi ction we
tell ourselves and others to rationalize undesirable
outcomes, decisions and actions and absolve
ourselves from fault or blame-as if we were
victims and not in control of our lives.
One of my favorite sayings is, " You get what
you deserve. " Most people jump right to the negative
connotation, but there's an equally positive
one: Th e students who study the most diligently
deserve A's, the athletes who train the hardest
deserve to win, the business owners who put in
the most intentional and focused eff ort deserve
to be successful. Conversely, students who slack
off typically deserve lesser grades, athletes who
can't be bothered to get up for early practice
or bring their hustle don't deserve to win, and
business owners who make excuses for not doing
what's necessary to grow the business deserve
the stagnant results they've been getting.
Th e more excuses you make, the less likely you
are to achieve what you want in your business,
your team, your relationships and your life.
But you'll be getting exactly what you deserve.
Extrapolate that concept to your team; when you
model that making excuses is acceptable, they
follow suit. Your business is negatively aff ected
not just by your seven excuses per day but also by
each team member's seven excuses.
Be more thoughtful about what you say-out
loud or in your mind-and catch yourself before
making an excuse. Th e more you say and think
those words, the more they will begin to sound
like fact to you instead of fi ction. Eliminating
excuses will help adjust your mental posture and
reenergize your commitment and capacity for
taking responsibility for desired outcomes as a
successful independent practice owner and in all
aspects of your life. OT
Jay Geier is a world authority on growing
independent practices to keep for a lifetime of
revenue or sell for maximum value. He is the
founder and CEO of Scheduling Institute, a firm
that specializes in team training and doctor
coaching to help people live up to their full
potential by uncovering blind spots that are holding
them back and hindering growth and profitability.
To subscribe to his Private Practice Playbook
podcast, go to podcastfordoctors.com/otown.
NOVEMBER 2023 | 50 | ORTHOTOWN.COM
http://www.podcastfordoctors.com/otown http://www.ORTHOTOWN.COM
Orthotown November 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Orthotown November 2023
